Lets talk about sects

Who’s the boss?

Liters of ink have been poured into trying to understand the behavior of the Northern voter. How will the Aoun-Franjieh-Karami alliance fair? Will the fact that Saad is from Saida affect his popularity? How will the turnout be? Etc etc…

One word: Bullshit

The ink is definitely not going to waste. I mean we’re sitting here behind our desks craving anything to read about Lebanon. Most of us are living abroad and don’t have 24 hour access to LBC and Future T.V. So all the talk and analysis are a nice respite for us, giving us an illusion that we are somehow contributing… (I mean let's face it, you have to be really desperate to be a regular blog reader)

But aside from our self-deludedness, the point I’m trying to make is this: From my contacts in Tripoli and the North (where my family is from by the way), I am getting this very strong vibe that seems to be so overriding that all “discussions” about alliances and influences seem irrelevant.

The Northern voter will cast his ballot based on this simple question:
“From what religion is the head of the list I’m voting for?”

Simply, that’s it…No alliances, no Saida versus Trablos, no nothing… Just a matter of sectual pride (“sectual” is a word I just invented, pronounced “sexual”).

Which guy is the stronger man: the Christian Aoun, or the Moslem Hariri?

Think that Aoun’s alliance with Karami will get him some Sunni votes? Think again: Karami , Rafei and Mohammad el Jisr are all going down because they’re now considered the “servants of the Maronite guy”.

I don’t know whom to blame; I guess this is simply the way we are.